The present invention relates in general to a mounting bracket adapted for supporting an article within or across the expanse of an opening such as a window frame, and more particularly, to such a mounting bracket adapted for mounting various articles such as venetian blinds, curtain rods, fireplace screens, drapery rods and the like without the need for hardware such as bolts, screws, nails or the like which would otherwise permanently damage the window frame.
Venetian blinds are typically supported by a head rail that contains the mechanisms that support the strings that control the movement of the individual slats of the blind. Mounting brackets are usually provided on either end of the head rail to be attached to the top of a window casement, either on the inside or the outside thereof. These mounting brackets are usually open brackets that must be permanently fastened to the window casement, but can be opened to permit the head rail to be mounted, or removed at any time for cleaning or adjustment if necessary. Two such known mounting brackets are disclosed in Hunter, U.S. Pat. No. 2,423,978 and Burns, U.S. Pat. No. 1,823,236.
In many cases, where the casements are deep enough, and for aesthetic considerations, these mounting brackets are fitted inside the casements so that the venetian blinds do not extend out into the room, or interfere with curtains or drapes that may be planned for the window openings. In any event, these mounting brackets must be physically secured to the window casement, with screws or other such fasteners that inevitably puncture the casement, and leave permanent scars, however trivial. If the alignment is not initially perfect, additional holes must be drilled to get the individual slats of the blinds to hang properly. All of this takes time and skill for mounting and for the correct alignment of the brackets, which is not necessarily within the capability of the average home owner or head of the household, male or female.
In an apparent attempt to overcome some of the foregoing disadvantages of the known mounting brackets, there have been devised a number of mounting devices. For example, a telescoping pole and set screw is known from Crecelius, U.S. Pat. No. 1,299,556, a spring loaded extendable rod is known from Spenard, U.S. Pat. No. 2,181,101 Grubbs, U.S. Pat. No. 2,870,918, Androit, U.S. Pat. No. 2,888,226, and Culver, U.S. Pat. No. 2,199,851, friction fit between a pair of resilient pads is known from Filey, U.S. Pat. No. 252,023 and Italian Pat. No. 540,459, and a turnbuckle mechanism is known from Meyer, U.S. Pat. No. 2,941,591.
These known mounting devices, although useful for their intended purpose, are somewhat crude in nature. To this end, there is further known a mounting bracket which is not required to be permanently screwed or fastened to the lintel or jambs of a window frame to support a venetian blind. This mounting bracket is constructed to fit over one or both ends of the head rail of a venetian blind and to fit within the window frame. The mounting bracket is pressed against the window frame jambs, by leverage, tightly enough to hold the venetian blind in place. Leverage is achieved by a cam arranged within the mounting bracket and rotatable by an externally extending easily rotated lever so as to mount or dismount the venetian blind or to adjust the angle thereof with respect to the window frame jambs. The mounting bracket is provided with one or more spacers to compensate for minor differences in the distance between the inside of the frames of a given window casement. Although this mounting bracket is a refinement over the aforementioned mounting devices, there is still the need for improvements in simplifying such devices in a manner which enhances its usability by the average home owner or head of a household.